Archive for the ‘Countries’ Category

Pre-Columbian Society & The Spanish Conquest Cuba was not populated by overachieving civilizations in the days before the arrival of the Spanish, as, for example, Mexico, Guatemala, and Peru were. However, Native American tribes that included the Siboney, Taíno, and Guanajatabey (the group that would come to be known as the Arawaks), numbered about 100,000 and had lived on the island since at least 1000 ... Full story

Abbreviations -- Dept. (apartments); Apdo. (post office box); Av. (avenida; avenue); c/ (calle; street); Calz. (calzada; boulevard). "C" on faucets stands for caliente (hot); "F" stands for fría (cold). "PB" (planta baja) means ground floor; in most buildings the next floor up is the first floor (1). Business Hours -- In general, businesses in larger cities are open between 9am and 7pm; in smaller towns ... Full story

Business Hours -- Banks are open Monday to Friday from 9am to 4pm (some stay open until 5pm). Some banks open on late-hour shopping nights and Saturday. Stores generally are open Monday from 10 or 11am to 6pm, Tuesday to Friday from 8:30 or 9am to 5 or 6pm, and Saturday to 4 or 5pm. Some stores close for lunch, and nearly all have ... Full story

Business Hours -- Banks are open Monday through Friday from 9:30am to 2pm and Saturday from 9:30am to 1pm. Most offices are open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5 or 5:30pm; the longtime practice of early closings in summer seems to be dying out. In restaurants, lunch is usually from 1 to 4pm and dinner from 9 to 11:30pm or midnight. There are ... Full story

American Express -- Offices are found in Rome at Piazza di Spagna 38 (tel. 06-67641), in Florence on Via Dante Alighieri 22 (tel. 055-50981), in Venice at San Marco 1471 (tel. 041-5200844), and in Milan at Via Larga 4 (tel. 02/721-041). See individual city listings. ATMs -- The easiest and best way to get cash away from home -- the Cirrus (tel. 800/424-7787; www.mastercard.com) and ... Full story

American Express -- Cairo: 33 Nabil El Waqad St., Ard El Golf, Heliopolis (tel. 02/24130293/4/5 or 02/26909129; fax 02/26909131), and 15 Kasr El Nil St. (tel. 02/25747991/2; fax 02/25747997). Alexandria: 14 May St., Madenat El Sayadla, Semouha (tel. 03/4241050, 4290800, or 4282021; fax 03/4241020). Luxor: Winter Palace Hotel (tel. 095/2378333; fax 095/2372862). Aswan: Kornish El Nil Street (tel. 097/2306983; fax 097/2302909). Area Codes -- Cairo: ... Full story

American Express -- Amex has yet to establish a strong presence in Turkey. Türk Express is the official representative of Amex Travel Related Services in Turkey, at Cumhuriyet Cad. 91/1 Elmadag in the Hilton Hotel (tel. 0212/230-1515). American Express also provides a toll-free access number within Turkey for Global Assist (tel. 312/935-3601). ATM Networks -- Banks on the Cirrus or PLUS network include Akbank, Garanti ... Full story

Area Codes -- Cuba has a somewhat arcane system of area codes. Area codes around the country range from 1- to 4-digits. To make a call within Cuba, you do not need to dial the area code if you are a calling a number within the same area code. However, if dialing another area code, you must first dial "0" then the area code. Business ... Full story

American Express -- There is an office at S.P. Building, 388, Pahonyothin Rd. in Bangkok. You can reach the office at tel. 02273-0033; it's open Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5pm. More Thai hotlines can be found on www.americanexpress.com, but these will be geared to help Thai card members, so check on the back of your card for your own country's relevant help lines. ATM ... Full story

American Express -- Amex maintains an extensive network of offices and agents throughout Greece. The Athens office (tel. 210/325-4690) is located at 31 Panepistimiou, overlooking Syntagma Square. We indicate the locations of these offices and agencies throughout this book, as well as describe the various travel arrangements and financial services offered by American Express. Area Codes -- Area codes within Greece range from three digits ... Full story